Jacksonville Library Information

Zine Yearbook #9

Posted by Josh Jubinsky on December 7, 2009

Zine Yearbook #9
Edited by Microcosm Publishing.

With anyone looking for a new zine – this general concept is paramount; the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. From the start of pulling together elements of the zine collection, I knew my familiarity with zines and their distribution aspects from running my own distro and record store would be helpful – much more helpful than my reluctant and half hearted enthusiasm over cataloging minutia. “Oh yeah, we should definitely get this title and that title and so and so is donating back issues of this and that.” I obviously never thought zines ended with what I knew of them, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how much I didn’t know outside of standard distribution channels. And the humbling power of hundreds of new titles came crashing like modern first-world economic plight.

Enter Zine Yearbook #9, where a culmination of historical torch passing compilers, from Jen Angel to Softskull Press to Tree of Knowledge, finally lands a new publishing partnership with Microcosm Publishing. Microcosm’s treatment of the Zine Yearbook project is nothing short of inspiring – both in terms of process and product. The thousands of zines read and mulled over at meetings lead to 230 pages of over 120 selections from various zines. The final product is a tasty sampler containing thoughtful, engaging, personal, independent writing and artistry from around the globe. Accompanying each printed submission is the contact information for your follow up – write them and tell them what you think, order the zine for yourself, or tell us local librarians how much you loved a certain entry and wish we had it available for checkout here. …the whimsical art and text of “My Friends and Their Tall Bikes,” the great storytelling in Pensacola’s “Mylxine” zine, the illustrations from “Bowling Stars of 1989,” the funny and interesting responses from the ad posting’s of the author of “Three Minute Girlfriend.” All a must-see!

Zine Yearbook 9 is an anthology of independent writing and artistry that should not go missed. Check it out at the library this winter and find a warm place to discover all kinds of new and neat zines.